The climate and weather of any given area will directly affect how well a fruit tree can grow there. Location and timing are everything when taking care of such sensitive trees. This is why it is essential to research the best time to plant a new tree in your area before doing so.
This post will look into when to plant an avocado tree in Texas.
The best time of year for planting an avocado tree in Texas is during the spring or fall seasons. Specifically, the months of March through June are ideal.
It is also helpful if you are in a cooler part of Texas. However, as long as the tree is planted before the weather gets too hot or too cold, it should do well.
To ensure the avocado tree establishes itself in your chosen location, it is best to plant it at the right temperature. Making sure it isn't too hot or cold when planting the avocado tree will be essential for giving it the best opportunity to thrive in its new environment.
Other factors also contribute to the well-being of new trees.
More About Location
Avocado trees need the right amount of water and sunlight when freshly planted to do well. Too much heat dries out the soil, and too much cold can freeze the tree.
This is why planting in spring or fall gives the tree a better chance of surviving. It also helps to plant the tree on the south or southeast side of your property as this typically offers more sun and wind protection.
The part of Texas you live in can also help or hurt the planting process. Living in a northern region that tends to stay a little cooler will make it easier to pick the best time to plant.
If you are further south in the heat, you may have difficulty getting it to do well. You may even have to water it more frequently.
Best Avocado Trees For Texas
There are several different types of avocados to choose from. Some of these varieties do better in specific climates, while others do well in many.
The main avocado trees that will do the best in Texas climates are the Guatemalan, the West Indian, and any of their hybrids. These avocados are naturally found further south and are more resistant to hotter temperatures.
Even though these do well in hot climates, they can still be tricky to care for. It is essential to know that these types may not survive freezing temperatures.
Depending on the part of Texas you're in, one of these avocado trees may not survive past the winter.
Caring For Newly-Planted Trees
The first step in caring for a new avocado tree is to plant it in the best place possible. Somewhere it will be safe from harsh winds and weather in each season is ideal.
It will also help to plant it far enough away from concrete, pavement, or buildings for the roots to have room to spread out. The best area will also have the right amount of sunlight for the growing tree.
Once you've found the perfect spot, planting the new tree is next. The first three years are crucial for these trees. They will need continual attention and support in these first few years to get established.
Each year, you must add soil to ensure the tree gets the proper root protection and nutrients. It may help to use a soil conditioner before planting.
After treating the soil and planting the tree, keeping it watered and fertilized will provide the nutrition necessary for getting established. The best fertilizers for fruit trees like avocados are ones made explicitly for food-producing trees.
It is even better if the fertilizer specifically mentions avocado trees. This means it will be more likely to have all the proper nutrients.
Additional Tips For Avocado Trees
Avocado trees, once established, prefer deep watering. However, it is essential not to overwater them as this can cause problems. The best way to water the tree deeply without overdoing it is to keep about 3 inches of mulch at its base.
This allows the excess water to drain before reaching the tree roots.
The bark of avocado trees is usually dark green, making it prone to sunburn. This causes damage to the tree and can affect its overall health.
To avoid sunburn on the tree bark, you can paint it with white latex paint mixed with water. This will deflect some of the sunlight and offer protection for the tree. Once the tree has grown enough leaves to shade itself, this won't be necessary.
Another important tip is to prune the trees after harvesting them in the first couple of years. This works by encouraging new growth to happen on your tree.
As the avocado tree gains more maturity, the new growth will be stronger than the pieces previously pruned. Because of this, your tree will become stronger and less susceptible to damage.
Do You Need Two Avocado Trees To Get Fruit?
Some plants and trees rely on pollination with another of its kind to produce any fruit. Due to this, people wanting to produce certain fruits have to have at least two of those plants or trees near each other so they can pollinate one another.
Anyone interested in growing avocados may wonder if this is the case for them.
Luckily, avocados are self-fertile trees. This means that one avocado tree does not need the presence of another to pollinate. The avocado tree can produce plenty of fruit even if it's the only one of its kind on your property.
How Long Before Avocado Trees Bear Fruit?
To produce fruit, a fruit tree must first be fully mature. A mature tree means it has grown to the point of being productive.
All trees, when mature, will either start producing fruit or flowers. Growing to maturity usually takes a few years for any tree. The exact amount of time depends on the species.
It takes about 3 to 4 years for avocado trees to hit maturity and can start to produce avocados. However, this length of time is only accurate if you start will a young tree.
If you plant an avocado seed and plan to grow a productive tree from it, you could be waiting for over 13 years! Fortunately, you will likely be dealing with a young tree sapling unless you run a plant nursery.
How Long Do Avocado Trees Live?
Though it is common knowledge most trees live a very long time, the exact length differs from tree to tree. With all this discussion on planting avocado trees, wondering how long one will live is to be expected.
Avocado trees typically live for around 200 to 400 years! That is long enough for multiple generations to enjoy the fruit from one tree.
Not only will these trees live for this long, but they produce fruit their entire lives once reaching maturity. However, the quantity of fruit the tree will bear each year gradually declines as the tree ages.
In fact, the fruit produced during the last few years of an avocado tree's life may not be good enough to pick. Even so, the effort of planting and caring for an avocado tree is well worth it.
How Big Are Full-Grown Avocado Trees?
Though the size of a full-grown avocado tree varies by type, you can expect most of them to get rather large if allowed to do so. Some people who grow avocado trees prefer to keep them small.
This can be because they keep the tree indoors or because they wish to keep the tree easily manageable. The biggest avocado trees will be those that are outside.
Outdoor avocado trees can grow about 15 to 20 feet tall and 5 to 8 feet wide once they mature. Avocado trees in containers stay a lot smaller than this, which allows for easier fruit harvesting.
They will only grow to be around 5 to 7 feet tall when kept in a container. Depending on your available space, a container-kept avocado tree may be more ideal for you.
Summary
In conclusion, avocado trees, like most other fruit trees, will have a better chance of survival if planted in the correct season. This means the weather is not too cold to freeze the new tree or too hot to dry it out. Specifically in Texas, spring or fall are the best seasons for finding this kind of weather. Happy planting!
For more information on fruit trees, check out these other posts!